Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

About the work

Mendelssohn wrote this concerto for his friend Ferdinand David, concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, taking six years over it before the 1845 premiere. It quietly rewrote the rules: the soloist enters almost immediately, the cadenza sits mid-movement rather than at the end, and the three movements run without pause. Listen for the seamless re-entry of the orchestra out of the first-movement cadenza, and the elfin lightness of the finale — Mendelssohn's signature.

Upcoming performances